The nature of global change in the Pacific Basin is poorly known compared to other parts of the world. Climate, Environment, and Society in the Pacific during the Last Millennium describes the climate changes that occurred in the Pacific during the last millennium and discusses how these changes controlled the broad evolution of human societies, typically filtered by the effects of changing sea level and storminess on food availability and interaction. Covering the entire period since AD 750 in the Pacific, this book describes the influences of climate change on environments and societies during the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age, focusing on the 100-year transition between these – a period of rapid change known as the AD 1300 Event.

* Discusses the societal effects of climate and sea-level change, as well as the evidence for externally-driven societal change
* Synthsizes how climate change has driven environmental change and societal change in the Pacific Basin
* Contains a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the evidence for climate, environmental, and societal change, supported by a full list of references

• Front Cover 2
• Climate, Environment Society in the Pacific During the Last Millennium 5
• Copyright Page 6
• CONTENTS 9
• Preamble and acknowledgements 15
• CHAPTER 1. CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES 17
  • 1.1. Global climate, environment and society over the past 5,000 years 18
  • 1.2. The approach to the last millennium 25
  • 1.3. Dividing the last millennium 26
  • 1.4. Medieval Warm Period 28
  • 1.5. The A.D. 1300 Event (the transition between the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age) 29
  • 1.6. Little Ice Age 31
  • 1.7. Recent Warming 32
  • 1.8. The Pacific Basin 33
  • 1.9. Organization of this book 39